Project description: This is a disease-based study focusing on current Spondyloarthritis (SpA) patients. SpA is a group of inflammatory rheumatic disorders with a two-fold higher prevalence than rheumatoid arthritis in the general population. The HLA-B27 allele is strongly associated with Spondyloarthritis (SpA), however, HLA-B27 is not necessary for development of SpA. This project aims to compare the functional immune response in HLA-B27 carriers and non-carriers with SpA based on the hypothesis that the presence or absence of HLA-B27 drives variation in circulating immune cells function but produces similar clinical disease. The long-range application of these results is to expand the clinical tools available to manage and track SpA, especially in HLA-B27(-) individuals where disease development isn’t well defined. The overlap of SpA with other immune-related diseases speaks to the complex pathogenesis of SpA and the difficulties in achieving an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. This study represents the first functional analysis of immune cell responsiveness within the Faroese population. In addition, it will serve as the pilot project to establish a flow cytometry facility within the Department of Medicine at the National Hospital of the Faroe Islands with the vision of expanding the biomedical research program and facilitating international collaboration.